A senior advisor to the UAE president today warned that any Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent, and risk turning one of the world’s most critical trade routes into a political tool in Tehran’s hands.
“Any control over the Strait of Hormuz will set a serious precedent,” Anwar Gargash said, noting that the waterway would become “politicised in Iran’s hands”.
Gargash warned that any lasting change to the status of the vital Strait would carry major global consequences, particularly for Europe, because of the route’s importance to energy supplies and international trade.
He further said that Abu Dhabi had learned during the conflict that Iran was willing to use “any weapon that it has in its hand,” pointing that Tehran’s nuclear programme had shifted from being a secondary concern for the Emirates to its top security worry.
He also cautioned against another round of fighting between the US-Israel and Iran, warning that any further conflict would “only complicate things”.
“Finding a diplomatic way forward is important,” Gargash said. “It should not be at the expense of creating further complications in the future.”
Calling Abu Dhabi’s relationship with Washington as central to Gulf security calculations, he described ties with the US as “a spinal cord” in the country’s national defence.
Regarding Europe’s role, the Emirati diplomat said that the proposed European initiatives related to the Strait of Hormuz were designed more for a post-conflict period, further questioning just what exact role could they even play afterward.
He also revealed that the UAE had been considering leaving OPEC for the past three years, arguing that production limits were hurting the country economically.
Gargash said Abu Dhabi believed it was approaching “the autumn of the hydrocarbon age” and therefore wanted to maximise use of its oil production capacity while global demand still remained strong.
Meanwhile, asserting further control over the vital waterway, the IRGC Navy said it had allowed 35 commercial vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.
According to the IRGC Navy’s public relations office, the vessels included oil tankers, container ships and other commercial cargo carriers that crossed the Strait after obtaining permits and traversed in coordination with Iranian naval forces.
The IRGC said the ships passed safely through the waterway under its security arrangements, despite the instability in the region, it said was due to US military activity.
The statement claimed the IRGC Navy had created “a safe waterway” for maritime traffic and the continuation of global trade through the strategic passage.
